List of bigfin squid specimens and sightings

This list of bigfin squid specimens and sightings is a timeline of recorded human encounters with members of the genus Magnapinna, popularly known as bigfin squid. It includes animals that were caught by fishermen, recovered (in whole or in part) from predatory species, as well as those credibly sighted at sea.

Background

Main article: Bigfin Squid

The bigfin squid is a little-known genus of squid noted for its unusual bodily shape and arms.^[1] Owing to its distribution as far deep as the hadal zone, and its status as the deepest occurring known genus of squid, specimens and sightings of the genus are extremely rare. All specimens are juvenile, with only one sighting thought to be an adult of the genus.^[2]

List of bigfin squid

Date - Dates are given to the level of precision available from the source material - telemetry displayed is used for observations where an ROV video is the primary source

Observer - Corresponds either to the person who collected the specimen; the vessel the specimen was collected on, or the vessel that observed the specimen for video-only observations.

Location - Given in Latitude/Longitude when available, otherwise the general region is given. For ROV dives with navigation data available, a link to the corresponding dive track is given, unless a more precise location is specified by a secondary source. Some coordinates from commercial ROVs are specified via UTM rather than Latitude/Longitude.

Depth - Supplied based on precision available from collection method for physical specimens; otherwise telemetry from ROV observations is used.

#	Date	Observer	Location	Depth	Comment	Sources	Video	Collected	Catalog #
1	Aug 10, 1883	Talisman Expedition	34°46’N, 36°11’W	3175m	Juvenile or sub-adult, damaged during trawl and missing arms. Retrieved near the Azores. Designated "Chiroteuthopsis Talismani"	[3]	N/A	Yes	MNHN-IM-1999-23523
2	September 9th, 1924	S. S. Pickle	Cape Town	240fms	Magnapinna sp. C. Collected during surveys by John Gilchrist off South Africa in 1924. Designated "Octopodoteuthopsis sp. A" by G. C. Robson	[4] [5] [6]	N/A	Yes	BMNH 1924.9.9.48
3	March 18th, 1954	J. E. Fitch	30°22’N, 129°45’W	N/A	From Alepisaurus ferox stomach caught by observer	[7]	N/A	Yes	USNM 885787
4	May 2-3, 1961	R/V "Chain"	11°13’N, 29°54’W to 11°21’N,30°06’W	0-125fms	Cruise 17 R.H. Backus	[8]	N/A	Yes	MCZ Malacology 370373
5	Jan 16, 1966	R/V Anton Bruun	-34.016666°, -84.966666°	0-2900m	Magnapinna pacifica	[9]	N/A	Yes	MCZ Malacology 392887
6	1985-1987	N/A	Off Oahu	0-300m	Unknown larva, described as "big-fin"	[10]	N/A	Yes	SBMNH 144791
7	Sept 11th, 1988	Nautile	10°42.9'N, 40°53.4'W	4735m	Vermanaute expedition, RV Nadir supporting	[11]	Magnapinna Archive	No	N/A
8	July 1992	Nautile	3°40'N, 2°30'W	3010m	Equanaute expedition, RV Nadir supporting	[11]	N/A	No	N/A
9	July 1992	Nautile	3°40'N, 2°30'W	2950m	Equanaute expedition, RV Nadir supporting, possibly same individual from 9	[11]	N/A	No	N/A
10	April 23, 1995	David Starr Jordan	33°49'N, 121°51'W	0-200m	Cruise 9505, Station 24	[7]	N/A	Yes	USNM 885786
11	September 16th, 1995	N/A	27°09'N, 86°07'W	N/A	M. atlantica holotype	[5]	N/A	Yes	USNM 1086800
12	June 21st, 1997	Discovery	37°14'N, 32°18'W	N/A	Captured at Discovery station 13198 #7	[5]	N/A	Yes	BNMH 20060134
13	November 1, 1998	DSV Shinkai 6500	32°45'S,57°1'E	2340m	Shinkai 6500 Dive 460 Cruise YK98-08 MODE'98 Leg4 - Atlantis II Fracture Zone -	[12]	JAMSTEC J-EDI	No	N/A
14	January 2000	Commercial ROV	28°37'N,88°00'W	2195m	ROV operating from Millenium Explorer	[12][13]	Smithsonian Youtube	No	N/A
15	May 2000	Nautile	19°32'S, 65°52'E	2576m	Gimnaut expedition, RV Atalante supporting	[11]	N/A	No	N/A
16	October 2000	DSV Alvin	27°34.7'N,88°30.6'W	1940m	RV Atlantis supporting DSV Alvin, WHOI cruise AT3-58	[11][14]	Smithsonian Youtube Smithsonian Youtube	No	N/A
17	May 16th, 2001	Tiburon	21.9°N, 158.2° W	3380m	RV Western Flyer supporting ROV Tiburon Hawaii Cruise	[11][15]	MBARI Youtube	No	N/A
18	September 4th, 2001	Kaikō ROV	19.13000, -155.09720[16]	2586m	KAIKO Dive 208 Cruise KR01-12_leg2	[17]	JAMSTEC J-EDI	No	N/A
19	September 13th, 2001	Kaikō ROV	19.83670, -154.54330[16]	3890m	KAIKO Dive 215 Cruise KR01-12_leg2	[18]	JAMSTEC J-EDI	No	N/A
20	November 26th, 2003	Hercules 8	26°10'48"N, 94°37'23"W	2750m	Discoverer Deep Seas supporting ROV Hercules 8	[19]	Magnapinna Archive	No	N/A
21	December 29th, 2003	Hercules 8	26°15'N, 94°40'W	3050m	Discoverer Deep Seas supporting ROV Hercules 8	[20]	N/A	No	N/A
22	July 11th, 2004	R/V G.O. Sars	42°8'N, 29°3'W	N/A	Bergen Museum MAR-ECO cruise super station 46, local station 374	[5]	N/A	Yes	ZMBN 77634
23	May, 2006	R/V R.S Carney	2928-2489m	26°05'00"N, 94°36'30"W	Badly damaged adult male	[21]	N/A	Yes	FMNH 308253
24	May 30th, 2006	DSV Alvin	2739m	26°10'51"N, 94°37'22"W	RV Atlantis AT15-03 Dive 4195, subadult male	[21]	N/A	Yes	FMNH 308252
25	November 2007	RV Polarstern	3°13'N,15°00'W	1000-2000m	Cruise ANT XXIV-4	[22]	N/A	Yes	N/A
26	November 11th, 2007	Commercial ROV	N9485524.76, E1017934.76 (26°07'39.0"N 94°53'51.7"W) converted from UTM	2500m	Shell Perdido, Alaminos Canyon Block 857	[23][24]	Magnapinna Archive	No	N/A
27	January 16th, 2009	Triton XLS-22	Alaminos Canyon Block 258	2453m	TXLS-22 from support vessel DMT Emerald	Unpublished SERPENT Project	Magnapinna Archive	No	N/A
28	June 8th, 2009	Commercial ROV	N1026271.0, E9486831.5	2593m	"Eastern Array Installation"	Unpublished SERPENT Project	Magnapinna Archive	No	N/A
29	Feb 25th, 2011	M/V Meg Skansi	ONSAP Station B246N	200-600m	Collected by MOC10 net sampling during M/V Meg Skansi cruise MS6 as part of DEEPEND-RESTORE [25]	[25]	N/A	Yes	N/A
30	Sep 15th, 2011	M/V Meg Skansi	ONSAP Station SE5D	200-600m	Collected by MOC10 net sampling during M/V Meg Skansi cruise MS8 as part of DEEPEND-RESTORE [25]	[25]	N/A	Yes	N/A
31	April 27th, 2012	Little Hercules	See dive track	1961m	NOAA Okeanos Explorer EX2012 Leg3 Dive 13	[26]	ROV View Camera Platform View	No	N/A
33	July 10th, 2013	Commercial ROV	Walker Ridge 95	1578.4m		Unpublished Serpent Project	Magnapinna Archive	No	N/A
34	July 29th, 2013	Commercial ROV	Mississippi Canyon block 525	1784m		Unpublished Serpent Project	Magnapinna Archive	No	N/A
37	November 14th, 2013	Oceaneering Millenium #57	26.13 N 94.88 W	2388m	OCS Study BOEM 2020-022	[27]: 18	N/A	No	N/A
38	June 12th, 2014	Oceaneering Millenium #115	28.15 N 87.60 W	2278m	OCS Study BOEM 2020-022	[27]: 38-39	N/A	No	N/A
39	April 23rd, 2014	Abyssal Lander	-37.2200 S -179.7740 W	4708m	RV Thomas G. Thompson TN309, HADES	[28]	N/A	No	N/A
40	June 27th, 2014	ROV Hercules	28:43.2808 N 088:06.5962 W	1687m	Nautilus Expedition NA043	[29][failed verification]	Unexpected Biology in the Gulf of Mexico	No	N/A
41	November 2nd, 2014	Oceaneering Millenium #115	28.59 N 87.84 W	2317m	OCS Study BOEM 2020-022	[27]: 36-37	N/A	No	N/A
42	November 15th, 2015	Towed Camera	-34.432, 129.987	2178m	RV Investigator	[30]	Supplemental Video 1	No	N/A
43	November 16th, 2015	Towed Camera	-34.377, 129.985	2110m	RV Investigator	[30]	Supplemental Video 2	No	N/A
44	January 19, 2016	ROV Victor		3664m	Pourquoi Pas?	[31]: fig197	Magnapinna Archive	No	N/A
45	February 14th, 2017	Commercial ROV	9°12'25.732"N, 76°49'55.091"W	1884m	Old Purple Angel Well	[32]	Magnapinna Archive	No	N/A
46	March 24th, 2017	FCV 3000 work-class ROV	-35.049, 130.905	3060m	REM Etive	[30]	Supplemental Video 3	No	N/A
47	March 25th, 2017	FCV 3000 work-class ROV	-35.049, 130.902	3002m	REM Etive	[30]	Supplemental Video 4	No	N/A
48	March 25th, 2017	FCV 3000 work-class ROV	-35.050, 130.904	3056m	REM Etive	[30]	Supplemental Video 5	No	N/A
49	April 14th, 2017	Commercial ROV	9°25'59.282"N, 76°44'54.110"W	2294.20m	Gorgon 1 Well	[32]	N/A	No	N/A
50	June 3rd, 2018	N/A	30.0255, -19.758333	100-200m	Pelagic trawl	[33]	N/A	Yes	ICMC000146
51	September 3rd, 2019	ROV SuBastian		1092m	ROV SuBastian Dive 295, Necker Ridge: Bridge or Barrier	[34]	Dive 295 - 6:58:03	No	N/A
52	January 28th, 2020	ROV SuBastian		3000m	ROV SuBastian Dive 312, The Great Australian Deep-sea Coral and Canyon Adventure	[35]	Dive 312 - 2:00:36	No	N/A
53	March 2021	DSV Limiting Factor	Philippine Trench	6212m		[36][28]	See inline video	No	N/A
54	December 2021	ROPOS	Central Indian Ocean	3000m	INDEX 2021, supporting RV Pelagia[37]	[38]	ROV ROPOS	No	N/A
55	November 9th, 2021	Deep Discoverer	See dive track		Dive 10, Windows to the Deep 2:56:25	[39]	Highlight	No	N/A
58	April 4th, 2023	ROV SuBastian	Puy Des Folles Seamount	1931m	ROV SuBastian Dive 501, In Search of Lost Hydrothermal Cities	[40]	Dive 501 - 9:33:44	No	N/A
60	September 2024	DSV Bakunawa	Tonga Trench - Pacific Ocean	3300m	Tonga Trench Expedition	[41]	Inkfish Expeditions	No	N/A